CHARITY COMMISSION RE-APPOINTS INDEPENDENT COMPLAINTS REVIEWER JODI BERG

3 Jan 2002 11:36 AM

The Charity Commission, which is responsible for the statutory regulation of charities in England and Wales, has now completed an open procurement process to select an Independent Complaints Reviewer (ICR), and is pleased to announce that Jodi Berg has been appointed to this key post from 1 January 2002.

Mrs Berg is the ICR for the Land Registry, the Public Record Office, the Housing Corporation and is the Independent Case Examiner for the Child Support Agency. She acted as the ICR during the pilot stage of the Commission''s arrangements

Legal Commissioner Michael Carpenter said: '' We are committed to fair and rigorous examination of complaints made by users of our services. We have already learned valuable lessons from having complaints reviewed independently and dispassionately as we strive to improve the quality of our service. We respect Mrs Berg''s independence of mind and her constructive but challenging approach. Her reappointment will underline our commitment to remain openly accountable to our customers.''

In response to her appointment, Jodi Berg said:

''I am very pleased to be given the opportunity to continue my work here. This is an important and challenging role, which has already had a significant effect on the way the Commission does business and deals with its customers.

''Having been a charity trustee myself, I know how deeply people care about charities and the part they can play within them. It is therefore essential that the Commission can be relied upon to be open, fair and reasonable in all its dealings with charities and the public. I am delighted the Commission has decided that an independent complaints review service will continue to be available to all those who remain dissatisfied with its response to their complaints. This highlights the Commission''s commitment to customer service.''

''ends''

Notes to Editors:

The Charity Commission is the organisation whose aim is to give the public confidence in the integrity of charity. It is accountable for its decisions to the courts and for its efficiency to the Home Secretary. It carries out a wide range of functions, including the registration, monitoring and support of charities and the investigation of alleged wrongdoing. There are five Commissioners, appointed by the Home Secretary.

The Commission has an internal complaints'' procedure but, if customers remain dissatisfied, they may ask the ICR to examine their case. The ICR looks at the entire case history and sends a full report of her findings to both the complainant and the Commission. The ICR cannot change Charity Commission decisions but she can comment on the way those decisions are reached.